Locality planning

The delivery of health, social and community care is changing. From April 2015 the Integration of Health and Social Care brings services together in a way that will deliver coordinated care that is easy to access and is focused on the best outcome for the individual person.

In practice this will mean NHS and Council staff and those from the third and independent sectors working with service users, carers and community-based groups to plan and deliver care and support that is designed for the individual.

In preparation for these changes a system for planning based on six localities has been adopted and will be rolled out in autumn 2015.

This is known as ‘locality planning’ and it is a key part of health and social care integration. It is also a legal requirement under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act, 2014.

Where are the localities?

The localities and neighbourhoods were agreed following an extensive engagement exercise and you can view a map of the six localities.

How does it work?

In short, to deliver health and social care effectively, the SAH&SCP has developed a Strategic Plan which takes account of the different needs of different people in each area and also looks at available resources.

Effective engagement with all key stakeholders at a range of different levels, each with its own unique purpose within the Strategic Plan is also essential.

Locality Planning in the South Ayrshire will have two main purposes:

It will assess need, prioritise and plan how all resources, irrespective of their origin, can be best deployed in pursuit of the delivery of the National Outcomes for Health & Social Care;

It will deliver local services and support to the people (or communities) through the statutory, independent, or voluntary sectors, or directly from local communities themselves.

The role of localities within strategic planning will be to:

Assess identified need and plan for how this should be addressed;

To prioritise service delivery and commission services and expenditure by balancing community based priorities with those proposed by professionals and providers, while also taking account of legislation and policy.

To monitor performance in relation to outcomes and objectives based on detailed Neighbourhood Action Plans, which set the goals and objectives for local service delivery.

What do I need to know?

The delivery of National Outcomes requires more people to be supported at home within their local communities.

There to be a greater sense of wellbeing and more emphasis on prevention and staying well.

It is also about helping people to live fulfilling lives at home, with the company and support they require.

The new approach suggests that much of this can be done in local communities, by making better use of the resources and assets in each neighbourhood.

That’s exactly what the SAH&SCP will be trying to do as it works to shift the balance of health and social care away from hospitals and other institutions to local communities.

How will it work?

Tim Eltringham (pictured) is the Director of Health & Social Care and his senior management team will work to deliver the new strategy.

The process has already begun to happen – in North Ayr, for example – but as this national shift towards prevention is new, it will take time to build the networks and join up the different services, resources and people in each neighbourhood.

The SAH&SCP’s Board has agreed:

Final proposals communicated as widely as possible within South Ayrshire making sure all feedback is provided to all who participated in the engagement exercise

To form six locality planning groups

To bring together interested groups and individuals at neighbourhood level to build new networks and identify opportunities to work together

To continue to identify information and take this to neighbourhood and locality planning groups, helping them to make a significant contribution to the work of the SAH&SCP and:

To continue listening to all people and groups in a way that sees locality planning continue to evolve as the work of the SAH&SCP becomes more established.

Summary

Quite simply, the new system and strategy is aimed at helping people to live fulfilling lives at home, with the company and support they require, specific to their individual needs.

Much of this can be done in local communities, by making better use of the resources and assets that already exist in each neighbourhood.